TWRM 05

Chapter 5

Selina was organizing a list in her notebook of everything she needed to do over the next two weeks when she paused to double-check her admission letter—just in case she’d missed something.
As she read through it slowly from the beginning, her eyes suddenly stopped at one particular line.

After staring at the sentence for a long time, she finally opened her mouth.
“Hey, Luna.”
“Why are you calling meow?”

Luna, who had been on the verge of falling asleep, cracked her eyes open and looked drowsily at Selina sitting at the desk.
“Are you… planning to come with me to the Academy?”
“Of course I am, meow! Who else would take care of me if not you?”

At those words, Selina frowned and reread the document.
“It says here… animals aren’t allowed.”
“…What did you just say, meow?”
“It says that no animals are allowed inside. At all.”
“…”

There was a long silence before a sharp, indignant cry filled the room.
“That’s nonsense, meow!”
Meoooow!
The cat’s cry echoed throughout the room.

Late at night.
Most people had already gone to bed, ending their day and preparing for tomorrow.
Theodore too had lit a few candles and was writing in his journal to close out his day.

His shadow flickered large on the wall with every sway of the candlelight.
Wherever it fell, the symbols of the Sun and sacred relics of the Temple of the Sun could be seen.
Short black hair, eyes that shone gold like sunlight, and sharply defined features—
He was the kind of man whose looks alone could have set many girls’ hearts ablaze.

Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking made his hand freeze mid-sentence. He looked up at the door.
“Yes, come in.”

The door opened, and a middle-aged man who looked exactly like Theodore entered. In his hand were a wine bottle and two glasses.
“Father.”
“My son. Do you have a moment?”

Theodore sighed and rose reluctantly. At that tacit permission, the man grinned broadly and came in.
As soon as he sat down on the sofa in the middle of the room, he began pouring wine.

Seeing this, Theodore pressed his temple as if it were throbbing.
“Father, how can His Holiness be drinking wine…?”
“It’s my one indulgence of the month. If I didn’t have even this much freedom, I would’ve quit being Pope long ago.”

Any priest overhearing that would have fainted on the spot.
“Father!”
“Ah, quiet down. Stop nagging and drink with your old man.”

Theodore’s father, Deas, was none other than the Pope of the Temple of the Sun.
The supreme religious leader himself tipped his wineglass casually, and Theodore’s insides boiled with irritation.

He finally sighed and poured his father a glass—but not for himself.
“Tsk, tsk. Would it kill you to drink with me?”
“I’m still underage, Father.”
“You’re old enough to drink. When I was your age—fifteen—I—”
“That’s enough. What brings you here?”

Theodore cut him off firmly. Deas muttered, disappointed by the lack of humor.
“I’ll be leaving for a national pilgrimage tomorrow. Thought I should see you before I go. And you’ll be entering the Academy soon, too.”
“Safe travels.”

His tone was utterly flat, void of sincerity. Deas shook his head.
“They say raising sons is pointless—guess they were right. You could at least pretend to be sad to see me go. You’re too cold, Theo…”
“Didn’t you come because you had something to say?”

Theodore checked his pocket watch and gave him an indifferent look. It was clear he wanted him gone.
Deas sighed and got to the point.
“…That girl will be enrolling at the Academy with you.”
“That girl?”
“Selina.”

The moment her name left his father’s lips, Theodore’s calm face wavered. He clenched his fist tightly.
“Selina? But she… she never cared about the Academy.”
“Oh, she’s the type to pretend not to care.”
“…”
“I heard it was Priman’s doing. He went ahead and arranged it himself. I only found out recently.”

Theodore fell silent. Seeing his son stiffen, Deas’s gaze sharpened.
“Theodore. Be careful this time. If something like that happens again, I won’t be able to fix it. You remember, don’t you? How close the Temple of the Sun came to completely severing ties with the Temple of the Moon?”

Theodore’s body went rigid.
“As long as you handle yourself properly, everything will be fine. I’ve already warned the others not to act rashly like before.”

Deas softened his tone and patted his son’s shoulder.
“You haven’t really talked to her since that day, have you? You’ll both be at the Academy—use the chance to talk things through.”

A storm of emotion flashed across Theodore’s face.
“I’m sure Selina’s forgotten all about that by now. You were such close friends when you were little. Make peace with her, be friends again—”

But he never finished the sentence. Theodore’s holy power flared dangerously, radiating killing intent.
Deas’s golden eyes narrowed as cracks splintered across his wineglass.
“No matter how freely you were raised, your eyes are getting insolent.”

Crack.
Golden light shimmered around Deas as his immense divine power pressed down on Theodore like a physical weight.
His breathing quickened; his face went pale. Finally, he relented.
Only then did Deas withdraw his power.

“Did I say something so terrible? It would do you good to be close with her again. You’ve never really gotten over that girl.”

Theodore’s fists trembled.
“There will be… no reconciliation between me and Selina.”

The pain in his voice was palpable.
The candlelight on the desk flickered violently, illuminating a photo frame beside the stand—
A young Theodore grinning brightly next to a little Selina, who wore an adorably sulky face.

Ding, ding.
The chime rang loudly through the quiet house. When there was no response, it rang again.
“Ugh… who is it…”

Half-asleep, Selina stumbled toward the door, barely opening her eyes.
Ding, ding, ding!

The persistent ringing made Luna, still curled up nearby, cover her small ears with her fluffy paws.
“Go see who it is, meow…!”

Watching the black furball burrow deeper under the blanket, Selina wiped her eyes and threw a shawl over her shoulders before heading to the front door.
“Who’s visiting this early…”

Still groggy, she froze when she saw the navy robes filling her vision.
No way…

Lifting her head, she saw exactly who she’d feared—
A young priest with dark hair and eyes stood before her, his expression emotionless.
Dark circles shadowed his pale face, making him look even more ghostly.

“…Father Baon.”
“Good morning, Miss Selina.”
“Ha… haha… It’s been a while.”

Selina smiled awkwardly and fixed her hair.
“I apologize for coming so early.”
“N-no, it’s fine!”

Startled into politeness, she quickly waved her hands. Only then did she notice that Baon wasn’t alone—several other priests stood behind him, all carrying bundles.

“We came on an errand from His Eminence, the Cardinal.”
“The Ca— I mean, Cardinal sent you?”

What could Priman possibly have sent that he dispatched his right-hand priest personally?
As she wondered, she noticed the priests’ arms trembling under the weight of what they carried and hurriedly opened the door wide.
“Please, come in!”
“Then, pardon the intrusion.”

Baon and the other three priests entered and began setting their packages on the dining table.
“Um… what are all these?”
“These are the Cardinal’s orders. They’re all for you, Miss Selina.”
“For… me?”

Looking confused, Selina watched as Baon opened one of the neatly wrapped boxes.
Inside was a set of clothes—clearly made of expensive material.
“Huh? Are these…”
“I heard you’ll be attending Perion Academy.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“These are your entrance necessities. Uniforms, bags, shoes—all the basics prepared.”

Selina’s eyes widened in shock.
When she saw the brand label on the uniform, she gasped.
“H-Hey! Isn’t this too expensive? Even the handkerchiefs from this brand cost over ten gold!”
“I merely carried out orders. The Cardinal personally chose every item.”

At his crisp, formal reply, Selina could only press her forehead in disbelief.
Of course—Priman. He would go overboard like this.

“Thank you. And for bringing them personally, too.”
“I only followed His Eminence’s command. My task here is done, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Baon dismissed the other priests and walked toward the door.
Meow~

At the sound, Luna trudged out, half-asleep. Baon froze mid-step, visibly startled for the first time since arriving.
He crouched down carefully, and Luna, as if waiting for that, brushed affectionately against him.

Baon gently stroked her soft black fur, his face melting into a kind expression.
He never showed emotion with people—but animals always made him lose composure.

Watching the rare sight, Selina couldn’t help but stare.
When Baon finally noticed her gaze, he straightened abruptly, face snapping back to seriousness.
“Ahem… my apologies.”
“It’s fine.”

He turned and strode toward the door. Selina followed, seeing him off.
As he and the priests disappeared down the street, she started to close the door—

“Miss Selina.”
“Yes?”

She quickly opened the door again. Baon was already halfway down the stairs; only his head was visible.
“See you again later.”

He smiled faintly, then vanished from sight.
Selina stood frozen in place, unable to move for a long while.